5 Work Habits That Can Help You Manage Mental Health

Life is getting tougher as we speak; we have to work harder, have more bills to pay, and more responsibilities at work. With an ever-increasing need to push ourselves beyond our capabilities, it is necessary we sustain our mental health to survive the challenges life throws at us.

Whether you are working for a multi-national corporation or a Small Medium Enterprise (SME), you are bound to face stress at work. It could be common for you to spend extended hours at work, working your sweat off to meet your deadlines. However, that is why you need to engage in work habits that promote your mental health.

As we progress into a more competitive era, we are losing time for our families and ourselves. Work-life balance has become an increasing issue over the years, and stress in the workplace is becoming a significant concern. Therefore, it has become increasingly important to adopt work habits that can help you manage mental health.

Here are five work habits you can practice for a positive impact on your cognitive abilities.

1. Scheduling and Planning Your Work

One of the most significant challenges you ought to face in today’s multi-tasking work environment is handling too much work in a little time.

You might feel you have more work than you can manage or complete on a given day. However, that is also something you need to achieve to ensure job safety.

It might be common for you to feel overburdened with work, and the thought of not being able to meet the deadlines would cause a tremendous amount of stress. However, that is where you need to stop and take a breather. Most people forget the power of scheduling and planning that can help them save a lot of stress and meet their deadlines on time.

Planning your work will help you define timelines and set personal deadlines to complete each task. This way, you can always keep a tab on your daily progress and would be able to determine when you are slacking off.

Prioritize your work based on their importance, set your goals, and meet them. Do not wait until the last minute, instead, always aim to complete the work before the deadline. Therefore, even if you run late due to unforeseeable circumstances, you will have a slight cushion to meet the actual deadline.

2. The Morning Boost

Give your mind a boost in the morning for a quick start. Most people laze around during the initial hours of the work and pick up the pace during the latter part of the day. It may seem convenient, but in actuality, it only burdens you more.

For example, if you have distributed the work throughout the day, you would not have an added burden by the end of the way. Your mind can only handle so much stress, do not push it beyond its capabilities. Think of it in this way.

When you walk at a steady pace, you do not tire easily and can go on for hours with no break. However, when you run, you might cover more ground in a short span, but also tire more quickly.

Our minds work in a somewhat similar fashion. Hence, do not overburden your brain by slacking during the day and get started as soon as you reach work.

A good technique is to supplement your brain to give it the necessary boost by having a cup of coffee. Unbelievably, but coffee has a great stimulating effect that will keep you active and energized for hours. Coffee is the perfect drink to give you the brainpower you require, especially during lazy mornings.

3. Eating Healthy

This is where it gets tricky, but choosing the right food can influence your brain activity and affect your stress levels. Our brain is mostly fuelled by sugar as its primary source of energy. Therefore, a regular intake of normal amounts of sugar, i.e., in the form of chocolate or other sweets will keep your brain clocking its maximum without a challenge.

Apart from sugar, choosing a healthy diet can influence mental activity as well. For example, choosing food sources that contain omega-3 fatty acids will help with positive brain activity while lowering stress and anxiety. One of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids is fish and eggs.

4. Exercising and Physical Fitness

Our mind can only do so much if our body is not equipped to handle the task. You cannot expect to push your body using just mind control; you need to be in good shape to keep your body from tiring out.

Exercising is a great way to maintain your physical health and to promote positive brain function. It can lower depression and anxiety, which promotes mental health. Now you do not necessarily need to hit the gym for exercise. You can engage in low-intensity activities such as crunches, pushups, brisk walking, stretching, to keep yourself physically fit. Also, take a stroll around your office to keep your body active along with a break after 30 minutes.

5. Learn About Yourself

The hardest thing to do is, not understanding about your own system. Every person works differently at their own pace, and would likely have certain productive hours during the day when they are the most efficient. You need to understand yourself and learn the pattern.

By learning your pattern, you can schedule the tasks that are complex for during your productive hours and use the less-productive hours on simpler and more manageable tasks. This way, you need not exert your brain and instead, work in a fashion that best suits your routine.

Forcing yourself during your less productive hours also exerts pressure on your brain, which would affect your mental health. However, by understanding your system, you can be more efficient and effective in completing your tasks.

If work stress gets overwhelming, seek professional help. Thanks to the availability of HIPAA compliant telemedicine apps, you can contact a mental health counselor without having to visit the healthcare facility.

About the AuthorZyana Morris

Zyana Morris is a passionate health and lifestyle blogger who loves to write about prevailing trends. She is a featured author at various authoritative blogs in the health and fitness industry. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook.